European Union walks a tightrope to climate leadership

Editor's note: Whether G20 countries embrace responsible climate policy is of critical importance, as together they account for roughly 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and 80 percent of global GDP. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced responsible climate policy as a goal of this year’s G20 Summit. In the lead-up to the Summit, WRI took a closer look at G20 countries’ progress toward meeting their targets under the Paris Agreement. The European Union is a major player in reducing world emissions. With a population of about 500 million, the 28 member states account for over 8 percent of total GHG emissions. Per capita , the EU emitted about 7.5 tons of carbon dioxide in 2013, compared to 19.6 in the United States and 8.4 in China. As latest estimates (PDF) from the European Commission show, the EU's share of global emissions has declined to 22 percent belo...